Successful percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion for atrial fibrillation in a patient with mirror-image dextrocardia: a case report

BACKGROUND: Dextrocardia is a rare congenital condition (1/10,000–12,000) and AF is uncommon (1–2%). Therefore, the occurrence of the two conditions is rare. Percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is a treatment to prevent atrial fibrillation (AF)-associated thromboembolic events. CASE PRESENTATION: An 85-year-old female with known situs inversus totalis, persistent AF, and stroke was treated with oral anticoagulation, but she was suffering from constant gingival bleeding. Her CHA2DS2VASc score was 6 points (abnormal, ≥ 2), and her HAS-BLED score was 4 points (abnormal, ≥ 3). The transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) demonstrated left atrial (LA) enlargement (46 mm) and 50% of ejection fraction. She underwent percutaneous LAAO for stroke recurrence prevention using a Watchman occluder. The operation was successful but with technical differences compared with a standard case because of the dextrocardia. CONCLUSION: This is the first reported case of a percutaneous LAAO in situs inversus dextrocardia. This case indicates the feasibility of LAAO in congenital cardiac malposition combined with AF.